The present invention relates to unit ventilators having a blower or fan and being operative for discharging either cooled or heated air into a space to be ventilated. More particularly, the present invention concerns a unit ventilator system wherein, due to element design and system arrangement, components are readily removable and installable in order to facilitate replacement or service of the components and to reduce to a minimum the time, effort and cost attendant with system service and maintenance.
Unit ventilators are commonly used for ventilating school classrooms or other spaces which are subject to high density occupancy. While a usual function of equipment of the concerned type is to provide ventilation cooling from the introduction outside air into the space to be cooled, means may be provided whereby the air admitted through the ventilation apparatus can be mechanically cooled or, alternatively, heated. Moreover, the air may be totally or proportionately recirculated within the ventilated space. Thus, such unit ventilators will normally comprise a cabinet enclosure in which the component ventilator parts include a motor-driven fan or blower, a heat transfer coil, appropriate air flow filters and dampers for directing and conducting air flow through the apparatus.
Because unit ventilators heretofore known in the art consist essentially of cabinets, or the like, in which the apparatus components are housed within a confined space, it has been the practice to fixedly mount the respective component parts to framing structure within the cabinet. While such apparatus of heretofore known design and construction may function acceptably, a problem occurs when it is necessary to service and repair or replace one or more of the apparatus components. This problem results from the need for disassembly from the cabinet framing structure of the respective elements of the ventilator apparatus in order, first, to obtain access to an affected component and, secondly, to remove an affected component from the apparatus for maintenance or replacement purposes. The result, therefore, is that much time and effort is normally required for servicing such ventilating apparatus thereby resulting in higher than desired costs for equipment service and longer than desirable downtime of the ventilating apparatus.
It is to the amelioration of the above problems to which the present invention is directed. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a unit ventilator that can be easily and rapidly serviced.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a unit ventilator that has modular components, which can be readily removed from, or installed in, the apparatus thereby facilitating easy access to apparatus components for servicing.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a unit ventilator wherein access to the component elements thereof is readily available upon removal of only the front panel of the cabinet, whereby maintenance and servicing of the apparatus can be performed from within the room or space being ventilated.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a unit ventilator wherein the removal of components, such as the motorboard assembly or the heat transfer coil, can be made without affecting the integrity of the unit ventilator chassis.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a unit ventilator of the described type having the capability of effectively processing and circulating fresh outside air and return air to a room in regulated amounts.
These and other objects and advantages are provided by the hereinafter described unit ventilator which includes a cabinet forming a fixed enclosure and having openings forming an inlet for input air and an outlet for discharge air spaced from the inlet. Framing structure for the cabinet includes a top plate, a base plate, a pair of oppositely spaced end plates upstanding from the base, and a readily removable front panel. A fan assembly including a motorboard, at least one fan and drive means therefor is suspended from the motorboard, the assembly being easily accessible and removable from the apparatus. Also provided is a coil assembly including a plurality of finned coil tubes, a pair of tube sheets at oppositely spaced ends of the coil tubes and operative to connect the coil tubes for circulation of a heat transfer fluid therethrough. Flange means provided on the framing structure end plates include a first set of flanges operative to mountingly receive cooperating flanges on the coil assembly for detachably supporting the coil assembly on the end plates. A second set of flanges are also provided on the end plates in order to mountingly receive the motorboard for also detachably supporting the fan assembly on the end plates. Adjustable damper means for circulating input air consisting of regulated amounts of either outside air or room return air through the fan assembly and, thence, in heat transfer relation with respect to the coil tubes before discharge from the ventilator outlet.